Using Pool Bleach Tablets for Laundry

I have been given a bucket of chlorine tablets for my above ground pool. I am thrilled that I don't have to purchase these this year, in fact I may have enough for a couple of years. Anyway, I was wondering, can I put one of these tablets in a bucket of water and make bleach for my laundry? Any thoughts would be appreciated! I know that I need to keep this solution out of the area of pets and people as the fumes may cause problems, but if I can make bleach water that would be great!

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I am a guest cottage owner www.forestvalley.co.za in South Africa Garden Route and do lots of laundry. Recent guests from Singapore with their 40 old "barfed his supper all over brand new white bedding. Found dried the following morning on departure. Soaked immediately in bleach 4% in hot water x2 days...rubbing/scrubbing. Added more bleach soaked another x2 days/scrubbing rubbing. Bless the boy, he must have eaten fabric dye?

Unable to remove. I took a scoop of swimming pool chlorine to boiling water, dissolved with a blender. Put only the soiled section in the bath with hot water, and poured the dissolved chlorine in and swilled. Came back in 10 min, and could not find the stain! Immediately rinsed and washed...saving the zarathustra 850 queen duvet cover..100%. chou mk

By Tom (Guest Post)10/18/2008

Yes, you an use the tablets as bleach. The tablets have chlorine gas combined with calcium to form a salt. As a binder, and to help keep the chlorine in suspension in the pool, there is an acid in the tablet. Simply grind down the tablet with some coarse sandpaper and make about a teaspoon or less of powder. I suggest you dissolve the powder into about a gallon of water, then add to the washer. Fill the tub with wash water, add soap, and wash.

The concentration of pool chlorine is very low - it is only acting as a sterilizer in the pool - only a few parts per million. In a washer, adding a cup of 5% bleach to 20-25 gallons of laundry and water causes not only sterilization, but also the "bleaching" effect of lightening stains and colors.

By Judith Walker (Guest Post)07/21/2007

Jonnie,Don't use the chlorine tablets for any reason inside. These tablets can be anywhere between 65 to 90 percent pure bleach where the household products run from 4% to 5%. I am a water treatment operator, and I am here to tell you that all kinds of harm can bother you and your family. Stick your face down to the bucket, that smell should be enough for you to realize that this product was meant for one thing only, to treat your pool. If you would happen to add this chlorine with ammonia or any other product that contains ammonia in a closed wash room or bath, you would be creating toxic gas that would take your breath away or even kill you. PLEASE store this product outside of living space and make sure the lid is on tight. Put where no child can reach. I have scratched both corneas twice from going into a chlorine room wearing contact lens when even a small amount of chlorine was present in the form of gases. I have been lucky not to have any health problems as a result. Don't take the chance, you and your family's life are worth more than the savings you would get from the tablets. Sincerely, Judith Walker

By (Guest Post)07/21/2007

Don't risk it!

By Diane (Guest Post)07/21/2007

I would not use it in your washer, think of how concentrated it is!BUT... I have used my pool to whiten clothes.I clean then in the washer and then put them in the pool in a mesh basket or container used to wash delicates.I leave it in the pool on the steps(we have an inground) for a couple of hours and the rinse in washer.It does get rid of dirt and underarm stains that bleach does not. I also let dry in the sun.

By (Guest Post)07/21/2007

if you, like all ready said, put one tablet into a plastic bag and break it into small bits..you then can dilute that into a bleach solution. I used very small chips in my toliet tank as a continous cleaner...very small...until we replaced the toliets...the new kind has parts that can be harmed by this, so I had to stop.There is no reason you can't use these...you just have to be really, really carefulAlso, the remaining little pieces will eat through the bag so you have to be careful with storing them...if you mix this into a solution..the power will fade after a while...like leaving an open bucket of bleach water...the bleach will "go away"...as it does in a swimming poolSo , all in all, you must weigh all these cautions against the small cost of a bottle of bleach.Now if you need a big bucket of bleach water, to say, wash a sidewalk or remove mildew from the side of a building...this would be a good applicationGood luck

Chlorine has been used as a weapon (WWI) and can be so dangerous. Jonnie, sorry, but I'm suggesting that laundry bleach is just not your biggest expense so save money somewhere else and leave the toxic waste products to the pro's. But I can sure understand the temptation!

That stuff is terribly potent. I would not use it with the laundry. The house will reek from the chlorine smell (very bad for lungs). Remember, 1 or 2 tablets are all that a huge swimming pool needs. I don't think you could smack it with a hammer and get a tiny enough bit to suit your laundry needs. Unless you like holes in your laundry, injured lungs and deceased pets. A little strong, but I wanted to get the message across. Do not try it. Might even ruin your washing machine.

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